Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/417381
102 Leadership & Management Neerav Jadeja, Administrator of Paradise Valley Hospital (National City, Calif.). Mr. Jadeja, 36, began his career with Gainesville, Fla.-based Shands Healthcare in 2002, where he served as COO at Shands Lakeshore in Lake City, Fla., before leaving in 2008. He then served as COO for Murrieta, Calif.- based Southwest Healthcare System's Inland Valley and Rancho Springs Medical Centers. He earned an MBA and a master of science in healthcare administration at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Irene Krokos, MD, CMO of Molina Healthcare (Albuquerque, N.M.). Dr. Krokos, 39, was named CMO of Molina Healthcare in May 2012, prior to which she served as the medical director of the system. As CMO, Dr. Krokos imple- mented a statewide medical home program, which was eventually adopted by New Mexico's Medicaid agency. She also helped start Molina's Care Transitions effort, which has decreased hospitalizations and emergency department visits by ensuring patients have transportation to follow-up doctor appointments, understand their prescriptions and receive the proper medical equipment for home healthcare. Raji Kumar, CEO of Dallas Medical Center. Since joining Dallas Medical Center as CEO in 2010, Ms. Kumar, 40, has helped the hospital grow. Under her leadership, the hospital has added spine, cardiovascular, gastroenterology and obstetrics service lines and has seen increases in patient volumes as well as simultaneous decreases in operating cost. Monthly revenue collections have more than tripled since Ms. Kumar took the reins, and more than 150 new physicians have joined the hospital's staff. Ms. Kumar earned an MBA from the University of Michigan and also holds a certification in managing healthcare delivery from Harvard Business School. She is active in the community and serves on the board of directors for Metrocrest Chamber of Commerce. [Edi- tor's note: While Ms. Kumar recently turned 40, she was under 40 at the time of her nomination earlier this year.] Brett Lee, CEO of Lake Pointe Health Network (Rowlett, Texas). Mr. Lee was named CEO of Lake Pointe Health Network in November 2012 at the age of 37. He previously served as senior vice president and COO of Chil- dren's Healthcare of Atlanta. The American College of Healthcare Executives awarded Mr. Lee the Robert S. Hudgens Award for National Young Health- care Executive of the Year in 2011. Mr. Lee earned master's degrees from The John Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore and the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business in Philadelphia. He also holds a doctorate in allied health and physical therapy from Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions in Boston. Ashley McClellan, CEO of Medical Center of Lewisville (Texas). Ms. Mc- Clellan served as Medical Center of Lewisville's COO before her appointment to CEO in December 2011. She played a key role in designing Flower Mound (Texas) Emergency Center, the first freestanding emergency department with an attached outpatient imaging center in North Texas. A fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, Ms. McClellan holds an MBA and a master's of health administration from Texas Women's University in Denton. Colin McRae, CEO of Jefferson Memorial Hospital (Jefferson City, Tenn.). Mr. McRae, 39, assumed his position as Jefferson Memorial Hospital CEO in March 2013, prior to which he served as the hospital's interim CEO. Before joining Jefferson Memorial Hospital, Mr. McRae served as COO of Physi- cians Regional Medical Center in Knoxville, Tenn. He holds a master's de- gree in healthcare administration from Virginia Commonwealth University/ Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. Stephanie Meier, Administrative Director of Obstetrics and Gynecol- ogy at Winthrop-University Hospital (Mineola, N.Y.). As administrative director of the OB/GYN department, Ms. Meier helped increase delivery volume at Winthrop-University Hospital by 250 discharges in one year. Ms. Meier also serves as vice president of Healthcare Leaders of New York and is vice president of health for Northport, N.Y.-based Long Island Women's Agenda, an online resource for women's needs. A fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Ms. Meier is a former adjunct instructor at SUNY at Old Westbury. She earned her master's of health services administration from George Washington University in Washing- ton, D.C. Adar Palis, Executive Vice President and COO of Harrison Medical Center (Bremerton, Wash.). In 2005, Mr. Palis was named CIO of Harrison Medical Center at age 27, making him the organization's youngest executive. Dur- ing his time at Harrison Medical Center, he helped build a data center and oversaw the implementation of electronic medical records. Mr. Palis holds a master's degree in information technology management from Seattle Pacific University as well as six Microsoft technical certifications. Ryan Parker, Chief Diversity Officer of Robert Wood Johnson Univer- sity Hospital (New Brunswick, N.J.). Mr. Parker, 38, joined RWJUH in August 2013 as director of diversity and inclusion before expanding his responsibilities to chief diversity officer in February 2014. He helped es- tablish the hospital's Center for Diversity and Inclusion, which works to ensure access, inclusion, diversity and equity for patients and employees alike. Before joining RWJUH, Mr. Parker led diversity initiatives at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh-based UPMC, Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta and University of Pittsburgh School of the Health Sciences. Carrie Owen Plietz, CEO of Sutter Medical Center (Sacramento, Calif.). In 1999, Ms. Plietz joined Sutter Health as an administrative resident in Cali- fornia Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. While serving as COO of Sutter-affiliated Miss-Peninsula Health Services in Burlingame, Calif., Ms. Plietz oversaw the EHR implementation, Sutter's first acute-care installa- tion. Now 38, Ms. Plietz has a Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification. She holds a master's degree in health administration and completed a fellowship in health law at Virginia Commonwealth University/Medical College of Vir- ginia in Richmond. Siddhartha Singh, MD, Associate CMO of Froedtert Hospital (Milwaukee). Dr. Singh, an internist, was named associate CMO of Froedtert Hospital in July 2012. He earned his medical degree from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi and holds a master's degree in epidemiology from The Medical College of Wisconsin, where he is an associate professor. In addition to leading patient safety and clinical quality efforts at Froedtert, Dr. Singh spear- headed the mandatory flu vaccination program for MCW employees, which drove vaccination rates to 99 percent. Latha Sivaprasad, MD, Senior Vice President and CMO of Rhode Island Hos- pital/Hasbro Children's Hospital (Providence). Before joining Rhode Island Hospital, Dr. Sivaprasad, an internist, served as associate CMO, chief patient experience officer and medical director of quality and patient safety at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. Dr. Sivaprasad also was an assistant professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, N.Y. Dur- ing her time at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Dr. Sivaprasad was a co-investigator for a multi-center, three-year grant from HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to study surgical safety, disclosure and claims reduction. Nicholas Tejeda, CEO of Doctors Hospital of Manteca (Calif.). For the past two years, Mr. Tejeda, 34, has held the chief executive position at 73-bed Doc- tors Hospital of Manteca. He previously served as COO of Twin Cities Com- munity Hospital in Templeton, Calif., and vice president of hospital and am- bulatory operations at Saint Mary's Medical Center in Reno, Nev. Under Mr. Tejeda's leadership, Doctors Hospital of Manteca implemented an EMR and reduced readmissions by 20 percent, helping lead the hospital to receive an "A" grade from The Leapfrog Group. Mr. Tejeda is the immediate past-president of the National Forum for Latino Healthcare Executives and is the incoming chair of the American College of Healthcare Executives' National Early Careerist Committee. Parker Templeton, CEO of Iberia Medical Center (New Iberia, La.). Mr. Templeton has led Iberia Medical Center since September 2013, before which he served as CEO of Franklin (La.) Foundation Hospital for four years. Mr. Templeton is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and serves on the board of trustees for the Louisiana Hospital Association. In 2013, Mr. Templeton received the Louisiana ACHE Early Career Healthcare Execu- tive Regent's Award. Stephen Vault, PhD, Director of Strategic Planning and Business Develop- ment for WellStar Health System (Marietta, Ga.). Dr. Vault's accolades run